Ms. Brudnick’s Class December 2, 2003 I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving vacation. It is hard to believe that December has begun. We will be going on a field trip tomorrow to Discovery Theatre. This Friday will be Ms. Noto’s last day at Janney. We are all going to miss her. She promises that she will visit us when her schedule permits. Fieldtrip Tomorrow we are going to Discovery Theatre to see the show, “Celebration of Lights.” The show does not begin until 11:30. Please send in a large snack and lunch for your child. We will eat snack at 10:20 and will eat lunch upon our return. (about 1:15) Family Traditions During the month of December we will learn about different traditions and customs. If you would like to share a tradition with the class, please let me know. This is a great opportunity for all of the children. Spanish Homework Spanish homework will be sent home on a weekly basis. I will include it in the THT envelope. Book Report in a Bag Book report information was sent home last night. The first page gives the directions for the report and the second page is the rubric that I will use when grading the assignment. At this point all students should have decided what book he/she is going to do a report on. Your child should be thinking of how he/she is going to share the book with the class. Book reports will be due the week of December 15th. Class Pictures A number of parents have told me about problems with the class pictures. (including the wrong grade number and not receiving pictures at all) I have shared this with the Picture Day coordinator and asked her how we can resolve the problems. As soon as I get word from her I will pass it along to you. Sorry! Math Game Helpers A number of parents volunteered to help me at the beginning of the year with the making of math games. I realize that you all have busy schedules. If you can still fit in sometime to make some games for the class I would really appreciate it. All that is involved is some cutting, gluing, and colouring. Thanks! Academics Math We began unit 4 in our math books this week. The students will be doing a lot of measuring in this unit. I have reserved our Friday math time for math games. I believe that having structured time to play these math games is critical for the success of the program. Language Arts In phonics we are continuing to review the short vowels “i”, “o”, and “u’. I will also be introducing the children to Venn Diagrams. The students will start off by comparing themselves. We will also be reviewing compound words. Social Studies Throughout the month of December the students will be learning about different traditions and celebrations. The student’s will be making New Year’s cards and writing their resolutions inside. The resolutions will be typed up and printed in the Northwest Current. Science I am hoping to finishing our unit on “Rock, Sand, and Silt” by the end of December. This week we will be exploring with sandpaper. Later the students will be making their own sand sculptures and clay beads. In January we will begin a unit titled, “Balance and Motion”. Winter Celebration A few families have told me that they are leaving a little early for the holidays, therefore I have decided to move the Winter Celebration back to Friday, December 19th.